The villages of Prairie du Sac and Sauk City are issuing an alert to residents about cold weather freezing water in pipes running to their properties.

City officials said extreme depths of five feet or more have increased the risk for laterals freezing.

The Richland Center Water Utility is also asking residents to keep their water running 24/7 until further notice. They are reporting frost depths between five and five and a half feet deep.

Reedsburg Utility customers are being required to keep their water running. Officials from the water utility said the customers won't have to pay more, but some residents are skeptical.

"The continued weather is driving it deeper, and you know we're in the first part of February, we have a long way to go yet," Reedsburg Utility Supervisor Jon Craker said.

In Reedsburg, people are being asked to run a continuous pencil-sized stream of cold water even on warm days, and to keep doing so until the utility company notifies everyone to stop.

A water utility spokesman said the issue could last until April.

Some customers are being asked to check the temperature of the water coming into their properties at the closest point it enters the building. If the water temperature is close to 38 degrees or lower, residents are asked to call their water utility as soon as possible.